Rural mail box



J. E. COLE RURAL MAIL BOX Feb. 12l 14924.l

Filg'i March 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y/////l// ///I////////////.//

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Feb. 12 1924. www? J. E. COLE RURAL MAIL BOX zk `2Z Z 420,61'20-15 Patented Feb. i2, 1924.

raras JOSEPH ELWELL COLE, 0F DACR,'ONTARIO, CANADA.

RURAL 4Main nox.rv

Application :neat/Laren 12, 1923'. 4 serial No. sancito.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrri ELwnLL Conn, aeitizen of the United States of America, and resident of Sunset Mine, town of Dacre, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rural Mail Boxes, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to improvements in rural mail boxes and the objects of the in-` vention are to provide a simple, effective and weather-proof mail box for rural delivery of mail, which can be economically made and in which the various parts are particularly designedto perform satisfactorily the several functions required of them.

Further objects are to provide a boxof this character that will not readily get out of order or be displaced while inuse, that can be quickly opened and closed by the mail carrier to deliver the mail thereto and withdraw it therefrom. y

Still vfurther objects are to provide in a box of this character signalling means by which a signal may be given to the'owner of the box .or to the carrier, indicating whether or not there is mail in the box. y

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists essentially in the improved construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in detail in the present specification and illustrated by the accompanying` drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, in 'which like characters of reference. indicate corresponding parts in each figure,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a 'longitudinal sectional elevation. j

Figure 3 is' an elevation of the inner end.

Figure 4; is a cross sectional view.

Figure 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 isa sectional detail of the improved box bearing' supporting the bottom roller.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the signalling member. f

'Figure 8 is a perspective view of the supporting roller.

In the drawings, A designates the casing or mail box member designed to contain the mail matter and adapted to be supported at a convenient height from the ground by any suitable form of support` lin/'the press'uitableior convenient material with 'a view to providing durability and longevity vin satisfactory andeficient use. llistheforward end of the casing adapted to be opened. Within the casing is mounted a `carriage member C and designed to carry f themail matter, this carriage being mounted lwith freedom to reciprocally slide backwardly and forwardly on a suitable guideway.

As here shown, the carriage is in the form of rectangular box mounted at the bottom on guideways 12 and extendingV substantially the full length ofthe casing to be operated backwardly and yforwardly by `means of a pivotally mounted pull or handle member 13 xedly secured through a brackety member 14 in the front end of the carriage and adapted to be readily grasped bythe operator.

To facilitate movement of the carriage, a roller 15 is mounted transversely in the casing and adapted to engage and support the underside of thecarriage'C. This rolleris provided with improved box bearing 16.

To return the carriage to normal position, suitable meansv are provided and, as here shown, comprisea weightl connected :to a cord 18 which extends over the roller 15 andis connected to the forward end of they carriage. In this way, when thecarrier, by means of the handle 13, pulls out the carriage it will automatically, on being released by the carrier, be drawn. vto 'its innermost position and remaink in such position. I

The front of thecarriage is adapted to be normally closed by a door D designed` to automatically open upwardly as the carriage is pulled forward.` To effect this, the `door is hinged at 19 and is designed to be engaged by rollers 2O mounted on a cross yrod 21 suitably journalledv and carried by the member 22 of the carriage.

lt will ber seen as lthe carriage pulled forwardly vthe kdoor will be swung upwardly, as indicated in' dottedlines Figure 2, forward movement of they carriage 'being limited by engagement with suitable stop means 23.

n Signalling means are associated with they carriage and, as here shown, comprise a'lon gitudinally extending rod 24 suitably journalled in the roof 25 of the casing and formed with a semaphore or other suitable signalling device 26 which may, if desired, have a lamp at its rearmost end, the semaphore or signal being adapted to be Set in a plurality of different positions and to be securely held in these positions against the action of the wind by means of a squared portion 27 adjacent the operating handle 28 and designed in position to lock the signalling member as required in combination with the cross member29 of the roof. ln this way, the signal may be locked or set with the semaphore extending laterally or with the semaphore extending upwardly, the upward position indicating, for instance, that there is mail in the box for delivery and the side position indicating that there is mail to be collected. The inner end of the rod is suitably journalled inthe roof 25 at 30.

In operation the rod has suflicient freedom of longitudinal movement to enable the squared portion to be withdrawn'from the recess in the cross member 29.

A further and essential improvement in my letter box consists in mounting the name of the owner on the box and this, as here shown, is accomplished by means of a weather-proofl frame 3l on the box which is adapted to slidably engage with a casing of weather-proof and transparent material in which is mounted a card having the owners name printed or stamped thereon. The transparent material may be of glass or any other suitable transparent medium as long as Vit is water-proof and is slid into this frame and fastened into place by any suitable means.

r32 indicates a coin box which may be con# veniently located beneath the roof at the forward end, having a sliding door 33 in the bottom which may be readily opened by the postman to permit the coins to drop into his hand.

As many changes could be made inthe above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of my` invention within the scopev of the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying-@peeincation and drawings shall be interI fated as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

fhat I claim as my invention is:

l. A mail box of. the character described comprising a casing closed at one end and open at the other end, a reciprocal carriage in the casing, a door adapted to automatically open and close as the carriage is moved forwardly and rearwardly, said door being hingedly mounted on the casing and a roller .on the carriage adapted to engage the door.

open and close as the carriage is moved fory wardly and rearwardly, and a semaphore signalling device including a rod, a block on the rod, a crossmember having a recess to receive the block and designed to hold it in a plurality of adjusted positions, and means on the outside of the casing designed to slidably engage with water-proof means carrying a card bearing the ownerls name.

il, A rural mail box comprising, in combination, a base, a casing on the base having an open end and having openings formed on opposite sides leading from the open end and guideway at the bottom of the casing, a carriage mounted on the guideway and reciprocal within the casing, a hinged door on the casing normally closing the front of the carriage, a roller on the carriage engaging the underside of the doory and adapted toreturn the same aft-er the carriage is moved forwardly, an operating rod connected to the crank by which it may be moved forwardly, and gravity means for returning the carriage to its innermost position, and means on the casing adapted to engage with and retain cardcarrying water-proof means indicating the owners name. j

5. A rural mail box comprising, in combination, a base, a casing on the base having an open end and having openings formed on opposite sides leading from the openend and a guideway at the bottom of the casing, a carriage mounted on the guideway and reciprocal within the casing, a hinged door on the casing normally closing the front of the carriage, a roller on the carriage engaging the underside of the door and adapted to returnr the -same after the carriage is moved'forwardly, an operating rod connected to the crank by which it may be moved forwardly, gravity means for returning the carriage to its innermost position, a longitudinally extending signalling rod, signalling means on the rod, and means for holding the signalling rod in adjusted position, and means on the outside of the casing for carrying water-.proof indicating means for the casing. j.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of a witness.

JOSEPH ELWELL COLE.

Witness:

W. T. CUFFE QUIN.

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